Landscape fabric, weed barrier and weed barrier fabric are names for the same product. It is a black mesh type of plastic that is used extensively in landscaping to keep weeds out of your garden. Does it keep the weeds out? Does it let water through to the plants? Lets have a look at the effectiveness of landscape fabric.
Landscape Fabric – Weed Barrier Cloth
This is how landscape fabric is advertised to work. You place it on the ground and cover it with mulch. Weeds already in your soil can’t grow through the cloth so they die. Weeds can’t grow on the cloth, so any sprouting seeds also die. Voila! No weeds.
Don’t Buy Into the Landscape Fabric Myth.
It is true that seeds sprouting under the cloth will not grow through it. However, strong perennial weeds will eventually grow through or around it. Many perennial weeds can grow quite a distance under ground and since landscape fabric comes in 3 and 4 foot wide roles they only need to grow a few feet to find an opening.
If you use a thin cover of mulch, weeds do not grow in the mulch because it is just too dry there. But in no time at all you will see the landscaping fabric stick up through the mulch and then it looks terrible in your garden.
If you use more mulch to hide the weed barrier, wind and water deposits soil particles and plant remains onto the cloth. In no time at all you have the perfect seed mix sitting right above the weed barrier, and weeds start to grow. Believe me when I say that plant roots can grow through the holes in the landscape fabric.
Weed barrier cloth is no better for controlling weeds than a 4 inch layer of mulch.
Landscape Fabric Stops Rain
Weed barrier cloth is porous (ie it has holes in it) and it is advertised as ‘letting the rain flow through’. This is mostly a gardening myth. The reality is that some rain will go through the holes, but much of it flows over top of the cloth and away from your plants, which remain dry.
Weed Barrier Sucks the Life out of Your Soil
I’ve talked many times about the importance of life in the soil. Landscape fabric reduces the air reaching the soil, and prevents any new organic matter from getting to the surface of the soil. It does not take long and the dew worms, microbes and other soil life, which depends on air and food, either leave or die. When this happens, there is a reduction of nutrients for your plants, and soil structure starts to degrade. Neither is good for your plants.
Permanent Plantings are Damaged
In permanent landscapes, plant roots will grow into and through the landscape fabric. At some point in the future when it is replaced (needs to be replaced every 10 years or so), you will damage the roots.
Is There a Good Use for Landscaping Fabric?
Maybe. If you are planting trees in uncultivated land that is very weedy, there is a benefit to using the weed barrier around the tree for a few years in order to keep the weeds down, and give the tree a chance to get established. The tree roots have less competition for space and nutrients. The loss of water due to the weed barrier is offset by the fact that the weeds are no longer using the water. The landscape fabric should be removed after a couple of years once the tree is large enough and strong enough to compete with the weeds.
Recent scientific findings, reported by Dr Linda Chalker-Scott, suggest that a 6- 12 inch layer of wood chip mulch is just as effective. I have used the landscape fabric, as described above, for trees planted in fields, but have now switched to using just mulch.
More Reasons for NOT Buying Landscape Fabric
- it is a plastic and we don’t need more plastic in the environment
- plant roots growing on top of the fabric can’t withstand a drought as easily
- moving plants, and dividing plants is a nightmare because the weed barrier prevents you from digging new holes
- if you do get weeds they are near impossible to pull out
- it is relatively expensive for a product that does almost nothing!
References:
1) Photo Source: Two Women and a Hoe
I should add that I did actually dig and remove one full brown bin (Scotland municipal provided organic waste bin) and a ton bag of roots, weeds, shrubs of serious unwantedness, but the garden hasn’t been maintained in 50 years so there was no way I would be able to remove all of the horrible root systems hence the landscaping plastic to (please) smother some! I’ll let you all know in the coming months!
Hi Robert, hope this comment section is still monitored. I’ve put heavy duty landscaping plastic down as I had a literal jungle of weeds and unwanted roots that was impossible to dig up without killing myself. So I’ve put down landscaping material to try and smother that growth and put compost on top of that for planting and big bark mulch. I’ve just read this thread now and despaired. But I’m stuck now so will see how it goes and will pull up next year if it’s causing more problems than it’s worth. You live and learn! I’ll be happy if it smothers some of the root systems though, even just a smidgen – we’ll see! At least I have only done a smallish part of the garden and will just big bark mulch the rest.
I use landscape fabric and also dog drainage holes with covers so that water can get down in the ground and still avoid weeds. Works great!
I have found everything you say to be true. We moved into our home 2 years ago. The previous owners had planted a very large perennial bed that had many gaps. Every time I go to plant something new in the gaps, I spend hours fighting with landscape fabric! The first summer I spent hours pulling out all the canada mayflower and whorled loosestrife that grew all over ON TOP of the mulch that covered the fabric.
Curious, would any old fabric work, ie, cotton sheet, breathable, let’s water through, and possible stops weeds ??
Hi Michelle, I have used old cotton sheets to cover a plastic sheet on a flat roof- it rotted extensively over one winter. I imagine it would go even faster on the ground and that plants pushing up would tear it even sooner..
I have started to use old newspapers on the allotment. Like cotton they will rot to add OM to the soil. They can be easily moved, torn, added to as needed. Slugs don’t seem to like it as much as other surfaces (needs more testing). I think this latter may be due to it’s absorptive qualities.
It has worked well since last year temporarily suppressing growth on paths. I’m now experimenting with making very shallow trenches with paper over the ridges edges at the low points. I then place compost in the trenches and seeds into that. We’ll see…
Any fabric will work but for longer results use a synthetic material. Cardboard works the best of all of them. Several layers of cardboard will last 2-5 yrs.. The fabric ground cover in this article is not your commercial type. I have removed my rocks and just swept it off. Easy to pull up. This is the cheap fabric stuff you buy from a hardware store in the article. The stuff is useless. The stuff I use comes in 12′ wide by the running foot.
I’ve used weed barrier fabric with excellent results it prevented wild blackberries from growing back. It was a constant battle for years until I used the weed barrier. 15 years later and still no wild blackberries Yes after a few years weeds grew through but I just mow them and it looks fine And those blackberry bushes were well established 6 feet tall in a section 12 feet 12 feet I couldn’t be happier!
Hi Robert in response to my “customers hating it in 5 years” you’re clearly jaded and butter for some reason I don’t uunderstand. I can understand the hate for plastic as roots tend to grow on top and its a paint to remove. But my installations take into consideration that the water seeps through slower, therefore we cut a hole large enough for to allow for watering. Keep in mind that far less water evaporated from the ground as well and stays moist throughout the hot months.
How do you feel about cardboard as a weed suppressant?
https://www.gardenmyths.com/sheet-mulching-lasagna-gardening-harm-soil/
The cons definitely outweigh the pros. I bought my house with the fabric already in place and it’s practically killing my tree by disallowing air and compost to reach the roots (serious compaction in the texas clay soil), it’s an absolute Nitemare to add plants bc the fabric has to be cut first before a hole can be dug, and finally it doesn’t prevent weeds- they are still abundant!
Hi Robert in response, no problems after a few years. I’m using a type of fabric they don’t sell at the home center. It’s a woven tarp that’s not sealed, it allows water to seep through. The odd weeds that may appear are surface, rooting it dust or debris. I strongly disagree with you on not using it under rock. Try manually putting in 10 tons of rock, and tell me you want it thicker. No way… Been in the business 20 years and top ranked in my city. I will agree to disagree on this one.
” it allows water to seep through” – All landscape fabric reduces water flow through it – basic physics.
Talk to your customers after 5 years – they will learn to hate it.
There is lots of confusion over the 2 products. I have the commercial product like you. I have even removed the rocks and swept it off when I accidentally dropped dirt on it. .I would not do without it. Slowly putting in perennial beds but this sure reduces the work of keeping down the weeds.